I have started a new job recently which has allowed me to have bank holidays off, something that I am not used to at all! With my new found long weekends I have been diving into some of my favourite comfort games. A lot of these have been remakes and remasters of old favourites so I thought I’d just run through some of the all-time greats!
1) Two Point Hospital
I think Theme Hospital was probably one of the first games I ever really played, and I used to spend hours and hours on it back in the day. Made by Bullfrog, who are now disbanded, the game allowed players to run hospitals in different areas with different requirements. Two Point Studios have done a brilliant job of revitalising the game, bringing over some of the developers from Bullfrog, they’ve kept the same charm that Theme Hospital had and updated it with new areas, new challenges and fun new illnesses.
I love watching all the crazy little characters come in, pretending to be dogs or famous people. Whilst the game doesn’t have the raunchy scandal of the previous game when failing a level, it doesn’t fail to make you chuckle. The tannoy announcements throughout the game always make me smile, and I think Two Point Studios have done a great job breathing life into an old classic. I’m looking forward to Two Point Campus later on this year. I think it will be good to see how they take everything they’ve learnt from Two Point Hospital and apply it to a new game.
2) Spyro Reignited Trilogy
I love these games so much. My favourite is Gateway to Glimmer (Ripto’s Rage), as this is the one I used to play most. What I love about this trilogy is the games somehow look exactly as I remember them from when I was younger. Now I know this seems silly and obviously they don’t compare with the graphics but what can I say, they just seamlessly transport me back to my childhood. I like how simple and easy to play they are now too. They aren’t too much of a challenge. It’s just an easy cozy comfortable play at the end of a long day, like a warm hug from your childhood.
Top tip for those of you who suffer motion sickness like me – turn off the motion blur in the camera settings. 100% better instantly, if I leave that on the game makes me feel nauseous in about five minutes but it’s the only downside of the game.
3) Crash Bandicoot Trilogy
Another game I used to play as a child, for this one I remember playing Crash Bandicoot: Warped. Unlike Spyro this is definitely harder than it used to be. I know it’s been discussed hundreds of times, something about curved feet and hit boxes and sliding off. I quite like the extra challenge this poses in the game. It’s nostalgic but not too easy. Almost like it has levelled up with the players who used to play it. Again, Crash Bandicoot is an excellent remake and takes me right back to my childhood. It looks exactly as I remember it (again I know the graphics are much improved it’s just how it feels).
4) Mario Kart 8
Now I know Mario Kart 8 has its own tracks but it also has tons of remastered tracks from the Wii, the SNES and the DS so a lot of your old favourites are there along with the recent DLC promising lots more of remastered tracks. Mario Kart is a big Sunday night game in my family, everyone gets involved, mum, dad, sister… everyone. What’s great about Mario Kart 8 is it has a smart steering function, so whilst in previous iterations you might fall of the edge of the track, smart steering helps you stay on it. This is good for casual players like my family because it means that they can enjoy the game without the constant frustration of falling off the track. It just makes the whole thing more enjoyable and accessible. I know it can prevent you from accessing some shortcuts, but you can always turn it off if you are less of a casual player.
And that wraps up my favourite nostalgic remakes, I would love to know some of your favourite remakes, or perhaps some older games you wish they would remake. Let me know in the comments!